Life of Pi follows the quest dynamic that Foster talks about in his first chapter. Martel himself is telling the bigger story about the young protagonist Pi, who is only just beginning to find out his own religious beliefs and still has “a long way to go in the self-knowledge department” (Foster 3). However, the ship sinks and he gets stuck on a lifeboat, and so begins his journey to find land and safety. Pi faces horrible encounters with a cannibalistic island, and he suffers from dehydration and hunger throughout the majority of the journey, not to mention the dangerous tiger on the boat with him. Once he finally reaches the end of the journey, however, Martel leads us to the real discovery he wanted us to make, and that was the “dry, yeastless factuality” the was hidden behind “the better story” (Martel 63) that Pi preferred to tell.
During the journey, there was a strange encounter with Pi and another shipwrecked sailor, where they were both blind. Not only is this highly unusual, as well as unlikely, but as Foster explains, there will never be blindness without a good reason, as it only creates more work for the author. In this instance, the Frenchman was “Blind to what really matters” (Foster 210), as he cared more about food and what was best for him, so he lied to Pi about his own resources. However, he was also blind to the dangers that waited on Pi’s boat, which led to his demise. Pi’s blindness led to him be susceptible to the French sailor’s deception, but ultimately his blindness was only temporary and he returns to his full vision and awareness.
A big part of Life of Pi was when Pi was training Richard Parker, and a big part of that involved meals. Foster stresses the importance of meals, and says “Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion” (Foster 8). Pi uses food as a technique for getting the dangerous tiger not to attack him. If Richard Parker thinks that he relies on Pi to provide food, then there will be no benefit to killing him. In one scene, Richard Parker prepares to lunge at Pi, but Pi deters him with an offering of a rat, which allows him the chance to get away from the tiger. Food is also an important part of the scene with the French sailor, as that is all that they discuss. Pi is lulled into a sense of comradery with this man who has circumstances so similar to his own, both filled with the same wishes for food, and Pi does not realize that the other man has ulterior motives.
Life of Pi follows the quest dynamic that Foster talks about in his first chapter. Martel himself is telling the bigger story about the young protagonist Pi, who is only just beginning to find out his own religious beliefs and still has “a long way to go in the self-knowledge department” (Foster 3). However, the ship sinks and he gets stuck on a lifeboat, and so begins his journey to find land and safety. Pi faces horrible encounters with a cannibalistic island, and he suffers from dehydration and hunger throughout the majority of the journey, not to mention the dangerous tiger on the boat with him. Once he finally reaches the end of the journey, however, Martel leads us to the real discovery he wanted us to make, and that was the “dry, yeastless factuality” the was hidden behind “the better story” (Martel 63) that Pi preferred to tell.
During the journey, there was a strange encounter with Pi and another shipwrecked sailor, where they were both blind. Not only is this highly unusual, as well as unlikely, but as Foster explains, there will never be blindness without a good reason, as it only creates more work for the author. In this instance, the Frenchman was “Blind to what really matters” (Foster 210), as he cared more about food and what was best for him, so he lied to Pi about his own resources. However, he was also blind to the dangers that waited on Pi’s boat, which led to his demise. Pi’s blindness led to him be susceptible to the French sailor’s deception, but ultimately his blindness was only temporary and he returns to his full vision and awareness.
A big part of Life of Pi was when Pi was training Richard Parker, and a big part of that involved meals. Foster stresses the importance of meals, and says “Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion” (Foster 8). Pi uses food as a technique for getting the dangerous tiger not to attack him. If Richard Parker thinks that he relies on Pi to provide food, then there will be no benefit to killing him. In one scene, Richard Parker prepares to lunge at Pi, but Pi deters him with an offering of a rat, which allows him the chance to get away from the tiger. Food is also an important part of the scene with the French sailor, as that is all that they discuss. Pi is lulled into a sense of comradery with this man who has circumstances so similar to his own, both filled with the same wishes for food, and Pi does not realize that the other man has ulterior motives.